President Donald Trump’s proposal for 100% tariffs on India and China may signal the end of an era of economic engagement and the beginning of a new, more confrontational chapter in global relations. The plan, if implemented with the EU, would represent a decisive move to prioritize geopolitical alignment over economic integration.
For decades, Western policy has been largely based on the idea that engaging with nations like China and India through trade would lead to greater cooperation. Trump’s new strategy suggests a loss of faith in that premise, opting instead for economic coercion to enforce foreign policy objectives.
The plan, presented to EU officials, is a call to form an economic bloc that uses its market power to punish and isolate adversaries and their supporters. The immediate target is Russia’s support network for the war in Ukraine, but the precedent set could reshape international relations for years to come.
This potential shift is not yet a certainty. The EU must first agree to join this confrontational path. More importantly, the US Supreme Court is set to rule on the legality of the tariffs that form the basis of this new strategy, a decision that could either validate this new era or force a return to a more traditional approach.